Guidance

Checking the status of your student finance application

Track the status and progress of your student finance application using your online account to make sure your money is ready for starting your course.

From:
Student Loans Company
Published
21 July 2021
Last updated
133 MarchOctober 20242023 — See all updates

Applies to England

Check our current timescales page to find out when to expect an update on your application or on information you’ve sent!

Check your online account

There’s no need to call us if you want to check your application status, instead you can sign into your online account.

Use this guide to understand what the different application status’ means, and what the next steps are to makeensure sure your money is ready for starting your course.

Watch our step-by-step tutorial on how to check the status of your student finance application online!

How to check the status of your student finance application

It’s quick and easy to use your student finance account, watch our other ‘How to’ films for step-by-step tutorials.

Find out below what each application status means and the next steps:

Incomplete application

This stage means you’ve not completed your student finance application, sign into your online account and select ‘Complete application’. For extra help applying for student finance, visit our campaign page.

If

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If you’ve applied late, you may getreceive the minimum amount of student finance to beginensure with, so you have some money.money for the start of your course. Find out more about applying late.

Before you can track your application, you must submit your application and complete any outstanding actions to complete using your online account.

Processing application

At this stage, we’re checkingprocessing your application. We’ll keep you up to date by email and through your online account.

What happens next

  1. We’re checking your application – we’ll email you if we need anything else from you.
  2. We’ll email you updates about the progress of your application, you can also sign into your online account to check the progress.
  3. We’ll assess your application and tell you the outcome.

You’ll only see a date for next expected update if you’ve submitted evidence.

It can take up to 6 to 8 weeks to review your application in full.

Please don’t contact us during this time, soto ensure we can process your application as quickly as possible.

Check our current timescales page to find out when to expect an update on your application or on information you’ve sent!

Confirming all details

This stage means your application has been approved and we’re just confirming some final details. Once we’ve confirmed all your details, you’ll be ready to getreceive your payments.

During this stage, we’ll check your National Insurance number (NINO) with the Department forof Work and Pensions (DWP) - if you’ve not givenprovided usyour itNINO, yet, you can doprovide this using your online account. This process takescan take around 2 weeks.

If you can’t find your National Insurance number, download the HMRC app to access it.

Don’t worry if this doesn’t change straight away.

The status ‘confirming all details’ won’t change until you’ve started your course and we’ve hadreceived confirmation of your registration/enrolment from your uni or college.

You’llAt bethis ablestage, toyour viewscheduled payments will appear, this will be a summary of your scheduled Maintenance Loan and Tuition Fee Loan payments. If you’ve not applied for any Maintenancemaintenance Loan,loan, this will onlydisplay show a summary of your Tuitiontuition Feefees Loan.instead.

What happens next

  1. We’ll email you if we need anything else from you.
  2. You need to register/enrol on your course.
  3. Your uni or college will need to confirm your registration/enrolment on the course to us.

Receiving payments

At this stage, we’ve confirmed your NationalNINO Insurance number with theDWP Department for Work and Pensions and we’ve hadreceived confirmation of registration/enrolment from your uni or college.

We’ll send you an email or text message each time we’re due to make a payment to you.

Using your online account, you can selectclick on the ‘View your payments’ link to see a full breakdown of how your instalments and as payments are made.made, the status of each will update.

What happens next

  1. We’ll sendmake youpayments ato textyou messageat whenthe yourstart paymentof iseach onterm its- way.
  2. We’llwe’ll pay yourthese Maintenance Loan directly into your bank account at the start of each term.account.
  3. We’ll pay your Tuitiontuition Feefee Loanloan directly to your uni or college.
  4. You’ll need to re-apply for student finance each academic year.

Prepare for next year

At this stage, all your payments for this year will have all been paid. You’ll need to re-apply for student finance for the next academic year of your course. You should do this as soon as applications for next year open.

For a whole range of student finance information, visit our campaign page and follow us on:

Published 21 July 2021
Last updated 133 MarchOctober 20242023 + show all updates

  1. Added link to HMRC app to find National Insurance number

  2. Add link to current timescales page

  3. Updated guidance to reflect 2022/23 academic year updates to online account and application status.

  4. A new image has been added showing a screenshot of an online account.

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